Rajoy: "Catalonia's independence will not take place"

Barcelona (ACN).- The Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has reacted to the unitary pro-independence list that will run in the next Catalan elections (scheduled for 27 September) and which groups the main civil society organisations with Liberals, Social-Democrats, Socialists, Greens and Christian-Democrats politicians. These elections will become a 'de facto' plebiscite on Catalonia's independence from Spain, after almost 3 years of the Spanish Government unilaterally blocking any discussion about a mutually agreed vote, despite the clear democratic mandate from the 2012 Catalan elections. On Thursday, Rajoy stated that "Catalonia's independence will not take place". In front of the Polish PM, Ewa Kopacz, Rajoy stressed that his government "is absolutely prepared" to enforce the law if somebody violates it. On Wednesday, he had already referred to the forthcoming Catalan elections, saying they "will be just another autonomic election […] and nothing else", "despite the confusion manoeuvres" of the pro-independence forces.

On Thursday, with it already being known that former Eco-Socialist Member of the European Parliament Raül Romeva will top the pro-independence unitary list – which also includes the incumbent Catalan President, Artur Mas, Rajoy wanted to send a strong message. "Catalonia's independence will not take place", no matter whether the pro-independence list wins September's elections or not. The Spanish PM rejected that the next elections will be a referendum on independence and repeated that they are just merely elections to elect the Parliament of an Autonomous Community. "Catalonia will continue to be part of Europe as a member of the Spanish state and nobody will have to choose between the condition of being Catalan, Spanish and European", he added.

Rajoy also compared the "promises" made by the pro-independence camp to those of the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. "The irresponsibility with which some are acting [in Catalonia] is what generates problems", as happened in Greece, he said. "When people make promises" that later cannot be honoured, "frustration" is generated, said Rajoy. According to the Spanish PM, an example of this is Tsipras' referendum, where despite the 'no' victory, the Greek Government had to in the end accept conditions much harder than those initially proposed.